Help with Ride Strategy?

[disneyfor3boys]

Oh Boy! Are we getting excited! Only 30 days till our first trip to Disney! There is DH, DS10, DS8, DS4, and myself. We'll probably only do this spectacular trip once, and we're trying so hard to see and do all we can with our four-day park hopper plus. I'm hoping you kind folks could tell us the "must-sees" or "must do's" in each park (We've allotted one day per park). My two older son's can't wait for the "thrill rides". Can anyone tell us which rides to hit first before the crowds? I know Splash Mountain and Space Mountain are on the list. How far (walking time) are these two rides from one another? Anyone have a strategy for getting to the best rides first? I'd appreciate anyone's imput on this. Thanks so much. You guys have been so terrific!

Laurie & 3 bouncing Boys

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I think you should buy the 2004 Unofficial Guide. That book will give you tourning strategies and help you out a lot, especially since you've never been before. The book is only $12.59 on Amazon. I just ordered a copy and a 2004 Passporter.

T&B

 

[topcat011]

I agree with Tigger. The guide gives you an idea on what to see and how to see it. It breaks down park by park. When we went the first time I lived by the book. Saw all the major stuff then relaxed and saw the stuff that wasnt in the book. Its a lot of walking back and forth but the book keeps you ahead of the crowds. I went in AUgust and i think there was only one ride we waited on line for and that was the Pooh ride.

 

[Ellester]

I've never used the Passporter, but I've heard good things about it. I grew up in Fl, so I don't need a map anymore for MK! To answer your specific question, Splash and Space are at opposite ends of the park. My best advice is to get to the parks early and USE FASTPASS and use it wisely! For example, get a Fastpass for Splash then walk over to Big Thunder Mountain (right next to it) and ride standby. By then you may be able to ride Splash with little to no wait. The parks don't really seem to fill up until closer to lunch (except maybe on EMH days), so if you get there at opening or close to it you can knock down several rides before it gets too busy. I'm sure your boys will have an awesome time (and you and DH will too!).

~Ellen

 

[Imagineering or Bust]

When visiting the Magic Kingdom, the busiest Park. If you get there at opening or beforehand then always go to your left first! Statistically more people go to the right first. So if you can get Frontierland, Adventureland, and Liberty Square done first! After that use fastpasses, you can obtain one with your park entrance ticket (one per person) then just read it it'll tell you when you can get another one! From there on out work your way clockwise through the park and remember if you have a hopper you can always come back to Epcot & Magic Kingdom when Animal Kingdom closes early! Anyways I hope that helps! :0)

Joshua (PoP Century Front Office CM & Former Pirate)

 

[EsmeraldaX]

One thing I'd reccomend, Try to get there when the parks open, and you may be able to leave AK before closing. I'm in the same boat as you, except it's only two adults going. We only have 4.5 days. Our arrival day is going to be at MK, then Epcot, MGM, AK/MK again, MK. We'll be busy but I'm hoping because the last week of Feb is after the presidents week crowds, we'll see a lot.

Use fast pass often. And if you can, do thrill rides during parades/fireworks/popular dining times.

 

[lentesta]

Hi Laurie,

If you've got only one day per park, the touring plans in the Unofficial Guide will allow you see the most attractions with the least amount of walking and waiting in line. We use some fairly sophisticated computer software and rigorous data analysis to come up with those touring plans. To the best of my knowledge, no other guidebook does this. I'm fairly certain the Guide's touring plans are widely recognized as the most efficient available.

If your DS4 gets tired in the parks, do you plan on returning to the hotel for a mid-day break, or will you be staying in the parks? If so, I'm sure some folks here can recommend some quiet spots to relax around WDW. (The Unofficial Guide lists them, too.)

Sincerely,

Len

P.S. Thanks very much to T&B and Topcat011 for recommending us.

 

[PiperG]

Originally posted by Ellester
For example, get a Fastpass for Splash then walk over to Big Thunder Mountain (right next to it) and ride standby.

What does it mean to ride "standby?"

Thanks!

 

[Kate-n-sam]

Hi
I believe standby refers to the 'regular' line as opposed to the fastpass line.

 

[ChairborneRangr]

"Standby" = NOT Fastpass

it is also a warning that you are going to wait. The standby line is the line EVERYONE used to have to use until they invented fastpass. BTW fastpass is a free benefit that everyone can use. Some people think you have to pay extra. Don't listen to them. If there is a "singles" line use it. On test track it is the fast way to go on the ride.

I agree about the unofficial guide. But don't overdo the commando thing! Like any of US would ever do that

Review the plans and the park map well enough that you are really familiar with it and be prepared to dump the occassional attraction. I usually ask first-timers or only timers to mark each of the rides on the list with a "+" (have to), a "-" (no way), or leave it blank if no strong feelings. It helps determine what to do and what to skip.

You can ask the UG contributers on this board. I think the "gotta see everything" MK plan takes something like 17 hours. There is absolutely NO WAY you are going to see it all. That is actually very freeing. Pick the highlights you don't want to miss and have a ball. BTW if you are only doing this once you must see Fantasmic at Studios (try the dinner special for guaranteed seats), Illuminations at EPCOT, and Wishes at Magic Kingdom. I also recomend the Jammin Jungle Parade at AK. THey don't have a fireworks show at AK. I think that is best, with all the wild animals around

My kids ages range from 7 to 18. Email me at steve@haysllc.com if you want to discuss anything. Also check out the secrets page and the planning sheets on my links page. They may help you too.

 

[5infam]

We have only been there once (we will be there again in 9 weeks), but we go to Disneyland a couple of times per month, and this strategy can help. What we do is very similar to what Imagineering or Bust said. When you get a Fastpass, it will give you a time when you can come back and get on the ride. The time frame is always one hour (come back between 12:20 and 1:20 for example). The Fastpass rule is that you can not get another Fastpass for another ride until your current Fastpass time has been reached (say 12:20 in the above example). When you first get there, get a Fastpass of a "Big Attraction", then go standby on some smaller or less crowded attractions. As soon as the first time comes where you can use your Fastpass (say 12:20 from the example above) send DH or one of the older kids over to the next "Big Attraction" and get Fastpasses for the whole group (don't forget to give them all your passes). This way, the little ones don't have to run around as much (going back and forth) and your clock has already started for the time you can get your next Fastpass. Enjoy the first "Big Attraction" and then hit some smaller attractions while you are waiting for the next "Big Attraction" Fastpass time, then repeat the steps. My First trip to MK, we started in the morning, and by lunch, cleared almost half of the rides we really wanted to hit. In the early part of the morning, we were able to ride some Fastpass rides back to back. As it gets more crowded, the Fastpass times will get farther apart, so make sure you hit your #1 and #2 rides in the morning first thing. I hope this makes some sense, and have a great time, you and your family will love it!!

 

[Tigger&Belle]

ChairborneRangr, please quit telling people about how fastpass is for everyone! Let's keep the fastpass lines short--I love the confused looks on the faces of standby people when I walk by with a fast pass. Some of them will try to sneak in the fastpass line only to be turned away by a castmember eventually.

Len, I think the guide books are wonderful. Of course a person has to customize any guidebook to work for them, but it's a great starting point. I especially like that the Universal parks are included in the guide. I'd always stayed onsite at Universal, but will be staying offsite for the first time next week (slow period so it should be fine) and will look over your touring plans more than I've had to do in the past.

Disneyfor3boys, hopefully you will get back to WDW when your youngest is older since he won't remember as much as your older children. Four is a great age (my kids were 4, 7, and 10 on our first visit) We have since had another child and try to go about once every 3 years (more often when we've gotten APs). In these in between years we've gone to Universal, though, since I have a hard time staying away. Have a great time--the first time is the most magical. I remember on our first visit, on our first day riding the monorail towards Epcot with tears in my eyes. It was so magical and my months of planning was finally paying off. lol Of course I"m the one who gets emotional for Kodak commercials so this is no great surprise.

T&B

 

[lentesta]

Hey ChairborneRanger,

Fireworks at the AK would be interesting, to say the least.

I think the standard One-Day MK Touring Plan for Adults takes around 10-12 hours to complete, depending on how you approach it and the time of year. With a nice 40 minute lunch, plus a couple of small breaks, it should take around 10.5 hours most times of the year, and around 12 during summer. Those numbers come from a fairly large test we did in 2002 using actual families as test subjects.

Len

 

[ChairborneRangr]

lentesta

I could just imagine...
pop (the launch)
whistle.........
BOOM

STAMPEDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



BTW, I wasn't refering to the standard 1-day plan. In my 2003 UG I read about an available, gotta do it all or die, plan that takes in every attraction, every shop, etc etc. That was the 17 hour one I was refering to. But then again, I make mistakes all the time

 

[lentesta]

ChairborneRangr,

Ah, the Ultimate Magic Kingdom Touring Plan!

The current record for seeing every available attraction, show and live performance in the Magic Kingdom (41 attractions) is 10 hours, 41 minutes.

On December 4, 2003, three people each saw 42 unique attractions in 9 hours, 59 minutes. The only attractions missed were the WDW Railroad and the Main Street vehicles, both of which closed earlier than expected. That's an astounding 4.2 attractions per hour. Had the RR and vehicles been operating, we could very well have seen a new record for complete-park touring. But 42 attractions in 10 hours is impressive in its own right.

Prior to anyone actually attempting it, we thought it would take around 17 hours in the parks. We underestimated the physical perseverence of our readership. The first person to complete the entire park tour did so in 11 hours.

My guess is that it's possible to do an entire-park tour, 44 attractions, in no less than 10 hours, 30 minutes. It would take a herculean effort, coupled with some really fast walking and a lot of luck to get done in anything less than this. I was with the team that did 42 attractions in 9:59, and it was difficult.

For what it's worth, the first person to do the tour (in 11 hours) didn't use FASTPASS once. I believe the current record holder used one, on Pooh. The gang-of-three's attempt in December used one on Splash, as it was down when they were supposed to visit it. This, more than anything, illustrates that there's really no substitute for having a good touring plan.

Len